With all the talk of ownership lately, I thought I would share another historical piece regarding ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

     Say what?  How is it possible that the Pittsburgh Steelers played the 1940 season, played the 1941 season, yet somehow in between did not exist?  In a series of events that would confuse Abbott and Costello, this scenario actually took place.  Here's how.

     Art Rooney was despondent after the 1940 season, having yet to taste a winning campaign since founding the team in 1933.  He tried everything.  In 1938 he paid the astronomical salary of $15,800 to Byron Whizzer White, who played just one season before heading off to Oxford to become a Rhodes Scholar.  In 1940 Rooney changed the team name from Pirates to Steelers to better reflect the city's image, but still no luck.  After eight seasons the Steelers were 24-62-5.

     Across the commonwealth, the Philadelphia Eagles, who also came into being in 1933, actually compiled a worse record than the Steelers, 19-65-3.  Eagles' owner Bert Bell and Art Rooney had plenty in common and became very good friends commiserating their war wounds.

     Also in late 1940 a preppie playboy from New York named Lex Thompson, and I emphasize "boy" since the lad was just 26 years old, decided he wanted to own a team in the National Football League.  Thompson was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  His father became a multi-millionaire in the steel industry (ironically) and was one of the few who had boatloads of money during the Great Depression.

     Thompson graduated from Yale in 1936 and started a lucrative business selling eye-care products.  By 1940 he had money on top of money and wanted a nice big toy.  He offered $160,000, precisely 64 times the amount Art Rooney paid for the Steelers eight years earlier, for an NFL franchise.  Rooney was a superb sports entrepreneur who always knew how to make a buck.  He wasn't pleased that the Steelers were losing money every year.  With all those Thompson dollars floating in the marketplace, Rooney came up with a plan.

     At the December, 1940 NFL meetings, the league officially approved the sale of the Pittsburgh Steelers to Alexis Thompson.  Rooney took the cash and then bought half of the Philadelphia Eagles from his buddy, Bert Bell, who needed a little cash himself.  Thompson immediately hired his own coach, Greasy Neale, and changed the team name to Pittsburgh Ironmen.

     Unbeknownst to the league and everyone else, Lex Thompson had no intention of keeping the team in Pittsburgh after the 1941 season, and Art Rooney had no intention of staying out of Pittsburgh very long.  The "plan" was that Thompson would move his team to Boston, while Rooney and Bell would change the Philadelphia Eagles into the Pennsylvania Keystoners and play half their games in Philly and half in Pittsburgh.

     When George Preston Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins, caught wind of this he was livid.  He wasn't so concerned about Boston since four seasons earlier he himself moved the Boston Redskins to Washington, D.C. due to putrid fan support (put that in your pipe and smoke it, Patriots' fans).  What Marshall could not tolerate was the entire state of Pennsylvania claiming a single franchise.

     Marshall was the Al Davis of his time and had a great deal of influence over his peers. It was often easier to let Marshall have his way than to endure all his maverick tirades.  Since there were only 10 teams in the league at the time, Marshall needed to get only a handful of owners to stop the grand plan, which he did.

     So now what?  Rooney was out of the Pittsburgh football business and Lex Thompson wanted no part of being in it. Rooney went back to the drawing board and came up with Plan B.  Rooney and Bell offered Thompson the City of Philadelphia for the City of Pittsburgh.  They didn't trade franchises since Thompson wanted his coach and players.  They actually traded cities.

     Thompson, Greasy Neale and the Ironmen relocated to Philadelphia while Bert Bell and the Eagle players passed them on the road heading west.  In April, 1941 the Pittsburgh Steelers were re-born.  Thompson was pleased with the proceedings since Philadelphia was a short commute from his New York City home.  Rooney was delighted to get his own city back and with a stack of Thompson's money.  How's that for being resourceful? 

     For his troubles and relocation, Rooney allowed Bert Bell to also coach the team in 1941.  After another horrible start, Bert Bell the co-owner fired Bert Bell the coach after just two games.  Bell would remain partner with Rooney until 1946 when he became commissioner of the NFL.  Having obviously to sell out, he sold eight percent of his 50 back to Rooney and the other 42% to Barney McGinley to avoid conflict of interest.  Barney McGinley was a dear friend of the Rooney family and his son, Jack, married the sister of Art Sr., Anne Marie.

     McGinley divided his 42% among his four children.  When two of them died, the estates sold their shares back to the Rooney family, which is where we are today.  Jack McGinley, the third child, since divided further his 10% among his children while his sister Rita still wants to hold onto her 10%

     NFL records show that Arthur J. Rooney owned the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941, just as he owned the team in 1940.  It is hard to believe now that one of the most stable franchises in NFL history was so unstable in between those two seasons that the Pittsburgh Steelers actually didn't exist at all.

Mike Humpal and Ryan Mundy, both sixth-round draft picks, were added to the fold leaving only the top two guns, Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed left unsigned.  The signing were almost identical.  Humpal gets a $71,600 bonus and mundy gets $67,600.  Both are signed for three years and will make $295,000 this season, $385,000 in 2009 and $470,000 in 2010.

Humpal played at Iowa and was an effective linebacker in his last two seasons, including six interceptions.  Mundy is a local high school product and played at West Virginia after transferring from Michigan.  He is a safety who had three picks and 62 tackles last season.  Both figure to really help us on special teams if they can make the 45-man squad.

By now most or all of you have read about Stanley Druckenmiller, a 55-year old hedge fund manager, who is strongly rumored to soon own at least a small piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers, if not a whole lot more.  Id like to summarize what has been floating around the last few days, in print and in talk, about Druckenmiller and his potential involvement with the Steelers.

Druckenmiller was a college whiz kid at small and prestigious Bowdoin College in Maine after moving several times as a child.  Shortly into his doctorate aspirations at the University of Michigan, Druckenmiller left that behind to make some money, some real serious money.  He moved to Pittsburgh to work for PNC and then started a company called Duquesne Capital Management at the tender age of 28, which still has an office in Upper St. Clair. Along the way he teamed with George Soros, a widely-known international investment guru and the two of them struck gold together.  In just one day in 1992, betting that the British pound would drop, Druckenmiller and Soros made a billion dollars.

The Druckenmiller Science Center at Bowdoin College

Druckenmiller now lives in New York and spends a great deal of time as CEO of Harlem Children's Zone, which helps thousands of poor families in an area that needs it most.  But his heart never left Pittsburgh.  Make no mistake, Druckenmiller is a Pittsburgh guy.  Having moved around a lot as a kid he never established any roots or any great rooting interest for a particular football team.  Pittsburgh has changed all that.  Druckenmiller is a season-ticket holder and flies into Pittsburgh for all the home games.  He still golfs regularly at Oakmont.  This billionaire worth 3.5 billion, ranked 91 among Forbes Top 400 Americans, paints his face black and gold, wears a Troy Polamalu jersey and tailgates in the parking lot.  How do you top that passion?

The Harlem Children's Zone is one of many charitable causes
Druckenmiller is involved in

Since his move to Pittsburgh, Druckenmiller has had a dream about owning the Steelers, at least in part, but has also been loyal to the franchise enough to know that the Rooneys are the Steelers and his respect has caused him to never cross that line.  It was the Rooneys who approached Druckenmiller, not the other way around, regarding the recent discussions about him becoming part of ownership.

 
Luxurious yet tasteful. And more importantly, in Pittsburgh, where
a potential owner of the Steelers should be.

You probably have heard that a driving force in all this is that three of the Rooney brothers, Tim, Pat and John, are owners of racetracks in New York, Florida and Maryland that now include casino gambling.  This is in direct violation with NFL policy and that is the reason for an alteration of Steelers ownership.  Each of the five Rooney brothers (Dan and Art Jr. being the other two) own 16 percent of the Steelers (The McGinley family, having married into the Rooneys two generations ago, owns the other 20 percent).  Figuring the Steelers are worth about $930 million, each brother owns about $150 million of the club.

True, the gambling issue is real and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is even involved now in trying to broker all of this.  Dan Rooney has publicly talked about the gambling issue and NFL compliance.  Casino-type gambling is unacceptable to the league (though dog and horse racing seems to be acceptable).  There are also other NFL matters to be considered.  The first is that the league wants at least a 30 percent majority owner.  The Rooney brothers each own only 16 percent, but have been grandfathered in to this point.  The second is that no franchise can go into debt more than $150 million.  Dan has that hanging over his head also.

However, restructured ownership would still be an issue very soon even without the gambling factor.  Dan and his son Art II are the operators of the team, but as long as this continues that means that the other four brothers have no impact on the team and also cannot reach any of their $150 million share of the franchise.  This is OK for the moment, but the Rooney brothers are getting up in age and this would be impossible to continue into the next generation.  You can't blame the four brothers for wanting to liquidate.  You also can't blame them for the timing.  Word on the streets is that if Obama gets elected in November the Capital Gains Tax is going to skyrocket.  The Rooney brothers want to have the next generation established before the election.

Dan cannot buy out his brothers since he doesn't have a spare $780 million laying around.  Dan is rich in the sense that he owns $150 million of an NFL franchise, but he is not cash-rich other than what he pays himself from the team.  Outside money needs to be infused.  There's really no other way to appease the four brothers of Dan.

Enter Stanley Druckenmiller.  Pittsburgh Steelers fans are very lucky to have among them a fan genius who attends all the home games.  By the way, Druckenmiller doesn't sit up in a cushy loge box.  He is among the crowd and the elements and high fives anyone around him when the Steelers make a good play.

Drukenmiller, pictured on the far left, has returned to Pennsylvania from New York, where his legendary stature as a Titan of Wall Street forced him to participate in the high-profile social life of New York City. Something tells me he's more comfortable around close friends in more private settings, like say, a Steelers game.

There are basically two ways in which Druckenmiller can become part owner of the Steelers.  The first way would sit much more comfortably with most of us Steelers fans, and that is, Druckenmiller (or someone else) would buy out the three brothers owning race tracks and own 48 percent of the team.  Dan and son Art II would find a way to buy out Brother Art and also the McGinley family and own the remaining 52 percent (or perhaps create a "Rooney Group" to accomplish the same thing).  This way Dan would pass the team on to his son and the foreseeable future would have a Rooney owning (most of) and running the team.  Druckenmiller would simply be a major investor.

The second scenario is more drastic and could occur if Dan cannot muster the finances to appease his brothers.  In this case Druckenmiller could buy more than 48 percent, making him the head honcho.  He has said that he really wants the Rooneys to continue to run the Steelers, but if he owns more than 50 percent it would be awfully awkward for Dan Rooney to essentially have a boss.  Steelers fans can hardly comprehend this scenario.

We Steelers fans have an unconditional loyalty and commitment to the Rooney family.  It just seems like the stars would be out of line with the universe if somehow anyone other than a Rooney was behind the curtain pulling all the levers, or at least approving what is being pulled.  But keep in mind several thoughts to help you sleep.

First, this change, at least to some degree, is inevitable.  Any Rooney not named Dan is not going to allow all his money to be tied up with an expensive toy from which his children gain no benefit.

Second, if anyone does need to come in, who better than a multi-billionaire who paints his face black and gold and is a current season ticket holder.  To boot, the guy is just 55 years old and in the prime of his mental capacities.  We could do a whole lot worse than Stanley Druckenmiller and really, not a whole lot better.

Third, while we love even the name Rooney, let's not forget that while Art Sr. was as lovable and loyal as could possibly be, the Steelers really weren't a successful operation until Dan took over in the late 1960s. Art seemed more interested in going to the races, schmoozing with local politicians, baseball and hiring old cronies as coaches.  His son Art Jr. was run out by brother Dan in 1985 and we really don't know anything about Art II's instincts in running an NFL franchise.  All we really know is Dan, and he is 76-years old.

Fourth, It is quite possible that having at least part ownership in the team, Druckenmiller might be willing to part with a few extra bucks each year and engage in the "cash-over-cap" escapades that Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder make an annual ritual.  Druckenmiller's heart gets broken whenever the Steelers lose.  That could bode well.

It must be emphasized that Druckenmiller is certainly not the only viable outside candidate to buy into ownership.  In fact, the Rooney brothers (except Dan) have contracted Goldman Sachs to help identify the franchise's worth and also identify potential buyers.  It may well come down to some type of bidding war.  However, at the moment, the horse that is out of the barn right now is Stanley Druckenmiller, so we may as well feature him.

So, while we sit and wait, let's try to think of the big picture here and not panic.  Not that we have any power to do anything about it anyway, but the bottom line is that the Steelers are going to remain in Pittsburgh for as long as the eye can see, and the franchise will be well run as always.

I was prompted to think and write about this and after Terry Bradshaw recently admitted publicly that he took doctor-prescribed steroids in the 1970s to assist in the healing process.  If you saw Bradshaw play, he got banged up quite a bit, much more than any quarterback playing today. 

It’s interesting to see how the microcosm of football fits into our changing society of moral intolerance.

I would never tell my daughter that men used to carry guns into church.  She wouldn’t understand the Wild West.  I do not want to tell her that Art Rooney Sr. once hit a woman on the streets of Pittsburgh.  The woman and her husband had just beaten up one of Rooney’s friends and while Rooney was going to flatten the husband (he was a world-class boxer), the lady kept waving her umbrella at him.  When she did not heed several warnings from Rooney he decked her and then pummeled the husband.  The cops came along and simply took the couple to the station after dropping Rooney’s friend off at the hospital. That was the end of it.

Imagine if such were to happen today?  The press coverage, the impending trial, the criminal and civil implications, all of which would saturate the public beyond imagination.  The reason I will not tell my daughter this story is that she is too young to understand that you cannot judge yesterday’s actions with today’s standards.

As the world keeps changing, it becomes less and less tolerant.  Back in the 30s and 40s, the Steelers and other teams traveled by train to their away games.  They played cards, got drunk and sometimes got into donnybrooks with their own teammates.  There were no assault charges and no photos taken.  It never made the newspapers.  In fact the beat writers, who were on the same train, were a part of the team fraternity.  They would never expose the sanctity of the fraternity.  Can you imagine today?

I remember the first Steelers’ game I ever attended.  It was at Pitt Stadium in November, 1968.  My uncle was Chief of Police in Bellevue, a Pittsburgh suburb.  We were going to be late for the game, but Uncle Bill told me not to worry.  He grabbed one of his patrolmen and put him and me into a squad car.  He turned on the siren and the lights and sped all the way to Pitt Stadium non-stop.  What a thrill that was for a 13-year old kid going to his very first Steelers game.  In the 60s that type of thing happened. 

In the 70s you could not walk into Three Rivers Stadium on a fall Sunday and not smell the aroma of marijuana all around.  I was actually convinced, and still am today, that the number of older teens and young adults who regularly lit up a joint in broad daylight far outnumbered those who “just said no.”  Marijuana was the “new alcohol.”  It was better than booze because it didn’t affect your liver and didn’t give you a hangover.  In essence, the 70s were a generation of guinea pigs.  Young people just didn’t know how many brain cells pot would kill because extensive studies were too young to conclude long-term.  And legally, as long as you weren’t selling it, you were in the clear.  Chances are if a cop saw you walking the streets with a joint he might ask you for a hit.

Steroids took on much the same stance in the 70s.  While the common man had no interest in steroids, high-level football players found them extremely beneficial.  Neither the NFL nor the U.S. Government had any prohibition against steroid usage.  Just like marijuana, individuals injecting steroids had little concrete evidence of what the long-term effects might be.  The drugs were too young to have widespread and meaningful longitudinal studies.  Players were smart enough, however, to know that they too were guinea pigs.  They had enough sense to know that artificially altering a human body was not the right thing to do, but as long as there were no rules against it and the guys lining up across from you were juicing, then it was a risk worth taking, and a common one at that.

The notion that the Steelers might not have won four Super Bowls in the 70s without steroids is poppycock.  The Steelers would have won just as many Super Bowls without any steroids as long as the rest of the league was equally as clean.  The fact that Steve Courson wrote a book that guys from other teams didn’t write simply places the Steelers under a parochial spotlight.

It is also interesting to see the game of football itself move toward zero tolerance in an effort to mirror society.  What Joe Turkey Jones did to Terry Bradshaw would result in an instant and lengthy suspension today.  What Jack Lambert did to Cliff Harris would surely be an ejection.  In the 1976 Super Bowl, it resulted in a “settle down fellas” warning. 

The technicalities of right and wrong haven’t changed much through the years (except for cases such as steroids, which are now illegal and were not a generation ago).  Intrinsically, it was just as wrong for Art Rooney to hit a woman in the Roaring Twenties as it would be for a young man to do so today. It was just as wrong for teammates to engage in fisticuffs over a gin game in the 1940s as it would be today. What has changed is society’s tolerance level, or lack thereof. 

This is due in part, to whatever extent you want to argue, to the massive influx in media coverage.  The advent of the internet, the explosion of cable and satellite television, and the powerful impact that national publications such as USA-Today have all feasted on the carcass of human frailty.  Step out of line and you will now pay dearly for any act of indiscretion. 

It is fair to assume that a young Art Rooney or a bunch of guys playing cards would be smart enough to not make those same decisions in the 21^st century.  Surely they would be keenly aware of, and react according to, the legal and public relations consequences of the times.  Fewer young people today are indulging in street drugs and those who do are not blatantly walking into football stadiums with them.  A crime is only as great as its corresponding punishment.  My daughter is not old enough yet to comprehend that.

In many ways our society today is better than ever.   Airplanes and restaurants are not filled with smoke.  Sex is not as promiscuous in mainstream America as it was a generation ago.  Drugs are the exception instead of the rule.  Bras aren’t being burned on some street corner protest and barroom brawls actually result in liable consequences.  In football, steroids and street drugs are in check with testing and excessive violence is curbed by fines and suspensions.  These are all good things.

On the flip side, it saddens me to see America lose some of its charm. Nontraditional innocence such as a kid racing to a ballgame in a squad car has long since passed us by.  You hear stories of kids getting cut from teams who turn around and sue the coach for pain and suffering and future lost wages.  That makes me sick.  Our world is becoming so litigious we need to think twice before pranks and practical jokes that were once common.

I will not tell my daughter about the goings on in fraternities back in my college days.  She will listen with today’s ear to the stories of yesterday, and that is not fair.  Someday she will be mature enough, as we keep heading down the path of intolerance and social perfection, to understand that we should never judge yesterday’s crime with today’s jury.

After the exodus of Dookie, Legursky, Lorello, Retkofsy, and Zabransky we now have 82 players on the roster.  You can only have 80 players signed maximum during the offseason (plus one NFL Europe player), which basically means we need to cut one more guy before July 28, assuming we sign our rookies.  I have projected my 45-man roster, plus inactives (8 or 7 if we make Dixon #46 as a third QB), plus 8 practice squad.  Note that Marvin Allen cannot be moved from the Practice Squad.  He is the Steelers 2008 NFL Europe player and he must be the 9th player on the Practice Squad.  It's fun to guess which guys go into which category. You can see my predictions in table form, after the jump.  Let the healthy debate begin:

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The Steelers signed NFL Europe's Marvin Allen and cut reserve quarterback Jared Zabransky.  Allen is a 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver and will remain on the team's eight-man Practice Squad throughout the 2008 season.  Allen is from london, England.  By declaring Allen the team's "NFL Europe Practice Playern" the Steelers get to go into camp with 81 players instead of the maximum allowed 80.  Do not know anything else about him

The Pittsburgh Steelers have 19 members of the family in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Only the Chicago Bears (26) and Green Bay Packers (21) have more.  I've compiled a listing according to five different categories.  For sake of operational definition, only those players who played a majority or plurality of their careers with the Steelers are listed.  They would be "Primary" HOF members.  Kevin Greene played only three years with the Steelers so basically if he gets inducted it will be as a Ram.  Conversely, Jerome Bettis played only three years with the Rams so he will go in proudly as a Steeler.  I'd like to hear your opinions, both in agreement and disagreement and also moving individuals into different categories.  If you are new to the site or haven't commented much, we'd really like to know your thoughts as well.  Join in one and all.
 

Category One:  Slam Dunk, No Debate, Meet Me in Canton

Jerome Bettis:  The Bus played with us for 10 seasons, 1996 through 2005, after three seasons with the St. Louis Rams.  He didn't fit into the Rams' offense. He now fits into the yellow blazer of the Hall of Fame.  Bettis rushed for 13,662 yards and finished his career fifth on the all-time NFL rushing list.  He scored 91 touchdowns rushing and added three more receiving and another three with option passes.  The Bus made the Pro Bowl six times and ended his career in his hometown Detroit, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl Champion.

Rod Woodson:  Woodson also played with the Steelers for exactly one decade, from 1987 through 1996.  In one of those seasons he became the first player to ever come back in the same season following major reconstructive knee surgery (the Super Bowl year of 1995).  Woodson played for three more teams after leaving Pittsburgh and finished his career in 2003.  His 71 interceptions are third all-time in the NFL and incredibly, he returned 12 of those for touchdowns.  He compiled a total of 17 touchdowns, including kick, punt and fumble returns - not bad for someone who never played offense.  Woodson made the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team and played in 11 Pro Bowls.

Category Two:  Very Deserving, Shameful if Left Out 

Gary Anderson:  Anderson played 13 of his 23 NFL seasons with the Steelers (1982-94).  He is the NFL's second leading all-time scorer with 2,434 points (behind Morten Andersen), some 400 points ahead of third place.  Anderson not only made the 1980s NFL All-Decade Team, he made the 1990s All-Decade Team as well.  He has been selected All Pro five times and four times he was invited to the Pro Bowl.  In 1998 Anderson became the first kicker in NFL history to go through a perfect regular season not missing a field goal (35) nor an extra point (59).  His 164 points that year is fourth all time in the NFL and the most ever for a player not scoring a touchdown.  If Jan Stenerud, some 700 career points in the rears of Anderson, can make it in the Hall, Gary Anderson should be there also.  (Stenerud is the only pure placekicker in the Hall.  Others like Blanda and Groza kicked well after playing another primary position during their careers.)  Pittsburgh fans will never forget Anderson's 50-yard field goal in overtime at Houston in the 1989 Wildcard Game that game that gave the Steelers a stunning road playoff win over the heavily-favored Oilers.

Bill Cowher:  Cowher was the head coach of the Steelers for 15 season, from 1992 through 2006.  He became the second coach in NFL history to lead his team into the playoffs the first six years of his career.  Paul Brown was the other.  Cowher was the youngest coach (38) ever to guide his team into a Super Bowl (XXX) and during his 15-year tenure, the Steelers had the best regular-season record in football (149-90-1).  Cowher won eight division titles and earned 10 postseason berths.  The Steelers played in 15 home playoff games, averaging one per season, during his reign, and played in 21 playoff games in all.  Six times the Cowher-led Steelers made it to the AFC championship game.

Dermontti Dawson:  Dawson played with the Steelers for all 13 years of his NFL career.  He went to seven straight Pro Bowls (1992-98) and was selected as All Pro six times.  Dawson started an impressive 171 straight games for the Steelers as one of the all-time great centers.  He was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team.  The Steelers do not officially retire numbers (after Ernie Stautner), but you might have noticed that no one has worn #63 since Dawson retired after the 2000 season.

Alan Faneca:  Faneca played 10 years with Pittsburgh, from 1998 through 2007, primarily as an outstanding left guard.  Seven times Faneca played in the Pro Bowl and five times he was selected All Pro.  Faneca was voted by the Pittsburgh fans to be on the Steelers' 75th Anniversary Team.  Offensive linemen do not get opportunities to pile up statistics, but opposing defensive linemen will attest to how great Faneca was during his career with the Steelers.

Hines Ward:  Like Faneca, Ward came to the team after the 1998 draft and has been a Steeler for an exact decade.  Ward has been the team's MVP three times and was also MVP of Super Bowl XL.  Ward is now the Steelers' all-time leading receiver in yards (8,737) and touchdowns (65) and has racked up an impressive 761 yards and eight touchdowns in postseason play.  Ward was selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls (2001-04) and is a three-time All Pro.

Category Three:  Pro-Rated Possibility,  Needs Multiplied Pace

Willie Parker:  What Fast Willie has done in just three seasons (2004 hardly counts) puts his name into the discussion.  He's rushed for more than 4,000 yards in those three seasons and scored 23 touchdowns.  In 2005 Parker was the Steelers' team MVP and his 75-yard touchdown gallop in the Super Bowl following that season is an NFL record.  Parker's biggest problem at this point may be his age.  He is 27.  NFL running backs are not known for very long career-spans and he may have trouble triplicating his output thus far, which is close to what it would take for a yellow blazer.

Troy Polamalu:  Polamalu has been with the team for five years and has made the Pro Bowl four times.  If you multiply his career,  those Pro Bowl appearances alone would make a good case.  Polamalu tied an NFL record for a safety by recording three sacks in one game and is still the only safety ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round.  Polamalu plays a confusing, aggressive style of defense that commands the respect of NFL opponents.

Ben Roethlisberger:  Roethlisberger has been with the team for four years.  In three of those years his quarterback rating has been at least 98 and in 2007 he was second only to future Hall of Famer Tom Brady with a 104 rating.  Roethlisberger was an obvious selection to the Pro Bowl last season.  He maintains a career 63% of completions.  He has thrown for 11,673 yards and 84 touchdowns.  If you multiply those numbers by three, a fair projection, he will have more than 35,000 yards and more than 250 touchdown passes.  Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback to ever lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.

Category Four:  Maybe Too Late Now, But Should Be In

L.C. Greenwood:  Greenwood played with the Steelers for 13 seasons (1969-81).  He was a six-time Pro Bowler and four times achieved All Pro status.  Greenwood stockpiled a sterling 73.5 career sacks and recovered 14 fumbles.  He also had an uncanny knack of coming up big in big games.  Greenwood batted away three Fran Tarkenton passes in Super Bowl IX and the next year sacked Roger "The Dodger" Staubach three times in Super Bowl X.  He registered sacks in all four Super Bowls in which he played.  Greenwood was selected to the NFL Silver Anniversary Super Bowl Team and was also a member of the league's 1970s All-Decade Team.

Donnie Shell:   This one baffles me more than any other.  Shell played with Pittsburgh all 14 years of his NFL career (1974-87) after being signed as an undrafted free agent.  His 51 career interceptions, as a safety no less, ranks among the elite in NFL history.  Shell made the Pro Bowl five consecutive years (1978-82) and was a five-time All Pro.  Nicknamed "The Torpedo," Shell's clean slam-to-the-ground tackle of powerful Earl Campbell broke the Houston Oiler's ribs in a critical 1978 contest knocking Campbell out of the game.  Shell was the team's MVP in 1980.  I believe the only reason Shell is being snubbed, likewise Greenwood, is that nine of their 1970s teammates have been inducted and there is a subliminal feeling that nine is enough for any one group of players.

Category Five:  Not Going to Happen, But in My Mind There is a Special Wing

Dick Hoak:  I fully understand we are talking here about the NFL Hall of Fame, not a Steelers Hall of Fame.  Still, I doubt there are many individuals around who played for a team for 10 years (1961-70) then coached the same team for another 35 years, marking 45 years all told.  Up until he retired, Hoak had been a player or coach of the Steelers for 742 of the franchise's 1,057 games, an incredible 70 percent.  Moreover, Hoak hails from nearby Jeannette and played at Penn State, taking the definition of lifelong loyalty to a whole new level.  He made the Pro Bowl once as a Steeler and finished his career as Pittsburgh's second all-time rusher behind John Henry Johnson.  Hoak will not be one of the few who achieve Hall of Fame status, but he is one of fewer who are walking around with five Super Bowl rings.

Art Rooney Jr.:  The world already believes there are enough Rooneys in the Hall of Fame, but Art Jr. is the unsung Rooney.  Two years younger than brother Dan, who is in the Hall of Fame, Art Jr. has also devoted his entire adulthood to the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Currently a vice president for the Steelers, Rooney was the team's head of personnel and player acquisition from 1964 to 1986.  He was instrumental in the launching of the league's first scouting combine and he orchestrated the greatest six-year string of team drafts in NFL history.  Nine Steelers' players during that span ended up in the Hall of Fame.  So too should one of the primary architects behind that great dynasty.

Mike Wagner:  I realize if Shell can't get in then Wagner, also a safety, has no chance whatsoever.  I am still going to tout him since I saw most of his games and he played far beyond what statistics can measure.  Wagner and Shell was the smartest safety tandem in NFL history in my opinion.   For as many times as Swann and Stallworth beat the opposition for long receptions, I can barely remember the opposition ever getting behind Wagner and Shell.  Wagner played with Pittsburgh for a decade, 1971-80, and earned two Pro Bowl appearances (1975 and 1976) along with four All Pro teams.  In 1973 Wagner led the NFL in interceptions with eight and ended his career with 36.  He also recovered 11 fumbles.  Like Shell, Wagner was a great tackler and played run support as well as it can be played.

Special Category:  Already In, But Not as a Steeler

Jim Finks:  It bothers me that neither the Steelers nor the Hall of Fame acknowledge the fact that Jim Finks played his entire NFL career with Pittsburgh (1949-1955) and was an outstanding quarterback.  In the Steelers' Media Guide the team accounts for 19 Hall of Famers and then notes players like Cal Hubbard, Marion Motley and Len Dawson who played very briefly with the team, but really earned HOF credentials with other teams.  How can they not mention Jim Finks?  In 1952 he had a Pro Bowl season leading the NFL with 20 touchdown passes (the game was different back then, 20 was an outstanding milestone) and was surprisingly fourth in the league with five rushing touchdowns.  In 1955 he had yet another great season, leading the league in passes attempted (244), completed (165), passing yards (2,270) and yards-per-game (190).  All told, Finks threw 55 touchdown passes, rushed for 12, caught a TD pass and returned an interception for a touchdown.  Agreed, his career and statistics are not the primary reasons for Finks being in the Hall of Fame.  His administrative contributions to the Bears, Vikings and Saints are what propelled him into the Hall.  But his statistical and playing contributions to the Pittsburgh Steelers over his seven-year career surely deserve a secondary affiliation.  If the Steelers can mention the miniscule impact that Cal Hubbard, Marion Motley and Lenny Dawson had on the team, Jim Finks should be recognized as one of ours also.

Thanks to Datruth for calling this to our attention on another story.  The National Post has written that the NFL Network has reported that the Steelers have released Najeh Davenport and freed up about $1 million of salary cap.  Yahoo Sports also weighed in on this.  Obviously the additions of Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall paved the way for this decision.

The Steelers apparently tried to trade Dookie but were unsuccessful.  Davenport played two seasons with Pittsburgh (28 games) and actually racked up some impressive back-up numbers,  He rushed for 720 yards on 167 carries for a 4.3 average and six touchdowns.  He also caught 33 passes for 377 yards and three more touchdowns.  Davenport also returned kick for Pittsburgh.  But with the Steelers' new additions at running back, Davenport was no longer an answer. Regarding the timing of this move, are the Steelers scraping up cash to make a pitch for LeCharles Bentley?

Tunch Ilkin was a Pittsburgh Steeler from 1980 through 1992, earning two Pro Bowl appearances as an offensive tackle (88, 89).  He served as vice president of the NFL Players Association from 1989 to 1994 and was very instrumental in the landmark negotiations between labor and management that still exist today.  Tunch joined the Steelers' radio broadcasting team in 1998 with Myron Cope and Bill Hillgrove.  After Cope's retirement at the end of 2004, the Steelers decided not to replace Cope and Tunch took on all color commentary. Tunch's understanding and teaching ability of the offensive line is widely known throughout the country.  He has been hired as a consultant for 12 NFL teams and currently works with three of them.  We thank Tunch for sitting down with us and talking at great length about his views.

-maryrose

BTSC:  Having been an original architect of the current labor deal, are you worried about future labor negotiations now that the owners opted to shorten the current agreement?

TUNCH:  I'd be shocked to see a work stoppage.  There's too much money involved for everyone and both sides realize that.  There is some posturing going on which is not surprising, but my gut reaction is that it will get done.  Both sides will do what is best for the game.  I'm proud to see that most of what we hammered out in 1992 is still in place today, the four years of service before free agency, the franchise tag, transition tag, salary cap and salary floor.  I went through the 1987 strike as the Steelers representative and I can tell you that no one wants that to happen again.

BTSC:  Tell us about Chuck Noll.  You came to the team right after the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl.  What was he really like?

TUNCH:  Chuck had an incredible presence that I had never seen before.  He was intimidating without trying to be.  He knew so much about everything.  You got the feeling that you knew less than he did about everything, even outside of football.  He combined that knowledge with a tremendous teaching ability.  He knew what needed to be communicated and knew exactly how to do it.  Chuck's brilliance lied in the fact that he never got caught up with traditional assumptions.  He didn't care what college you went to and he knew that size and speed were overrated compared to whether a guy could play football.

Chuck was the king of nonverbal communication.  You could lose control of your bladder just by the way he would look at you.  Every day I would learn something new from Chuck.  I would often go home and look words up in the dictionary that he used.  He would often reference history when he spoke to us.  To this day when guys get together we still quote him.  His words were that powerful.  It's not surprising that so many of his disciples have gone on to coaching and broadcasting.  It's because they learned so much from him.

People have said that the game passed him by in the 80s because he couldn't duplicate the 70s, but I think one of his best coaching seasons was in 1989.  We lost our first two games by something like 96-10.  Chuck wasn't concerned about us.  He was concerned that the media would contaminate us.  He gave us a lecture about how our brain was like a pool with all the chemical reactions and such, and then told us "to not let anyone piss in our pool."  We went out and completely turned the season around, made the playoffs, and then beat heavily-favored Houston on the road in the wildcard game.

BTSC:  How concerned are you about the offensive line this season?

TUNCH:  I'll go back to Chuck to give you my philosophy.  If each position on the offensive line gets just a little bit better, collectively the whole thing gets a whole lot better.  Chuck used to talk about cumulative effect and that may well happen this year with the Steelers line.  They brought in Justin Hartwig to start, Marvel is healthier and Max Starks look terrific.  He is svelt, has been working his tail off and he really looks good.  Last year he was taken by surprise by losing his job, but he maintained his poise and looked better and better as the season went on.  This year he looks leaner and stronger.  You can already see different pieces getting a little better, so the cumulative effect might be alot better.

Remember also, we had alot of sacks the last two years, but it's not always the line's fault.  Sometimes Ben scrambled when he shouldn't have, and sometimes he scrambled right into a sack.  Sacks can result by the style of play calling as much as anything else, so there are different ways we can attack the sack issue.

BTSC:  What about Willie Colon?  He looks more like a guard than a tackle.

TUNCH:  I didn't look like a tackle either so you really can't look at it that way.  People think that tackles need to be certain-sized creatures but they don't.  They mainly need to be quick on their feet in open space and have enough strength to protect.  The pass rushers today are no bigger than they were when I played. Back again to Chuck.  He never got boxed in by mindset.  Moon Mullins was a tight end and he ended up at guard for us.  Don't let the eye test fool you.  Having said all that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marvel and Max starting at tackle with Colon rotating with Chris Kemo at left guard, but then again, I'm not a coach so that's just one man's thought.

BTSC:  It's often said that an offensive line needs cohesion and chemistry.  What exactly does that mean and why is it important?

TUNCH:  Fans don't realize how many adjustments are made during the cadence by the offensive line.  So many changes take place with combination blocks and switch blocks.  You can't see that from your living room.  An offensive line needs to communicate quickly and simplistically with each other since there is very little time involved.  You have to know each other also.  You have to know what your teammates need to do and can do.  Everything on the offensive line links together.  We're a fraternity on and off the field.

BTSC:  Speaking of that fraternity, as a former player in the trenches, does that ever compromise your ability now as a journalist in being critical about other players?

TUNCH:  I have to admit sometimes that is a very fine line.  My style is to never say that a player stinks or should be replaced, but I will not hesitate to say that a given player got beat on a given play.  Remember, those guys who line up across from you are getting paid also.  Sometimes they are just better.  I like to dwell on the positive since I think it can set the example and feed into more positive.  Chuck taught me that as well.  It's better to have a mindset of how to correct something that goes wrong as opposed to criticizing it.  That said, I am very critical of lack of effort and preparation, and I will not hesitate to point out when I feel that is the case.  There is no excuse for that, which is completely different from just not being as good as the guy you're lining up against.

BTSC: What did you think of the Steelers draft this year?

TUNCH:  I really liked it.  Alot of fans assumed they were going to take linemen early and often.   The truth is, the linemen that were available, outside of that top tier who were already drafted ahead of them, were simply no better than the guys they have on the team now.  What sense would it make to have more of the same?  The guys they have now have a better chance of improving into better players than the guys they could have drafted.  Therefore, they added weapons, they added depth and they added versatility.  I loved their draft actually.

BTSC:  What is your assessment of Mike Tomlin thus far?

TUNCH: The guy is very bright and articulate.  Just like Chuck he has a tremendous presence even though he doesn't try to have one.  His maturity is way beyond his years.  The Rooneys obviously saw all the same things.  Mike is very sincere and poised in all his press conferences.  He doesn't tell you everything, but he would be crazy if he did.  What he does tell you is very sincere.  Mike has a great respect for the history of the game and also the Steelers, which too the Rooneys liked.  On top of everything, he is very humble.  He's not wrapped into himself.  People like that.  They like being around him.

BTSC:  How do you account for the special teams failures last season, especially in the return-coverage aspect?

TUNCH:  We were inconsistent, but we have been for awhile.  Remember, we lost a trip to the Super Bowl in 2001 on a punt return.  The coaching staff needs to iron that out and not necessarilty by working players harder.  They worked extra hard last season in that area.  It's all about personnel and "want-to."  What's interesting about personnel is that the special teams coaches and head coach often battle each other regarding who to put on the field.  The special teams' coaches want the very best players period since that is their area.  The head coach wants to preserve his best players and wants the special teams to succeed mainly with back-ups.  They struggle back and forth.

BTSC:  It's said that NFL teams are never stagnant. They are either on the rise or on the decline. Where do you think the Steelers are in this regard?

TUNCH:  That's good question and the answer is not obvious to me. I am leaning more to thinking they are on the rise, but their 10-6 record last year was played with a much different schedule than this year.  Alot will depend on Woodley and Timmons.  The offseason between a player's rookie year and second year is the time they leap the most in their NFL career.  Those two guys can have a huge impact this season.  They have an entire NFL cycle behind them and now is the time for them to blossom, in year two.

BTSC:  Who is going to win the AFC North?

TUNCH:  Cleveland looks very good on paper, but Pittsburgh is still the team to beat.  Baltimore is struggling and going through alot of transition with coaching and such.  Cincinnati peaked in 2005 and has been downhill since.  Cleveland made some aggressive moves in the offseason and should really give the Steelers a toe-to-toe battle.  It's one thing to acquire players and a whole new ball of wax to get them to play well together.  That will be Romeo Crennel's challenge.  Remember it's a long season.  The dynamics of the NFL not only change greatly in between seasons, but the league changes about every four weeks during the season.

The 2008 ESPN Fantasy Rankings are out.  Big Ben is ranked #5.  The Steelers defense/special teams are also #5, the highest of the Steelers rankings.  Heath Miller is ranked #8.  Jeff Reed is ranked #10.  Fast Willie Parker is ranked #13.  At receiver, Santonio is ranked 15 while Hines is close behind at 20.

Couple tidbits:  Matt Spaeth is ranked 61, meaning he is considered the worst statistical back-up tight end in football.  Also, for those who don't think drafting a running back in the first round is wise, the trend is indicating otherwise.  Tomlinson is #1, Peterson is #2, Addai is #4 and Lynch is close behind at #8 (I wanted Lynch in the first round last year).